Duck on a Bike

Shannon, D. (2002).  Duck on a bike.  New York:  Scholastic.


Haven't we all done something that others thought was crazy or a waste of time while others thought it was awesome?  That is exactly what Duck did.  He saw a challenge (riding a bike) and decided to give it a try.  Along his journey, the reader hears the opinion of his other barnyard companions.  Is he successful in learning to ride the bike?  You'll just have to read the book to see.


David Shannon uses a doublespread for his illustrations.  This reflects the continuation of Duck's journey as he attempts to learn to ride the book.  The flyleaf contains illustrations of the ribbons that often fall from the handlebars of a bicycle.  The front flyleaf represents one side of the bicycle, and the back flyleaf represents the other side of the bicycle.  The story is contained between the two sets of the ribbons, as the main action occurs on the bicycle between the two sets of ribbons as well.  The title page is a doublespread as well.  The focus of the picture is on the size difference between Duck and the bicycle, making the reader wonder how Duck will do on the bike.  The end page contains an illustration of a big tractor and Duck examining it.  This leaves the reader wondering if Duck will move on to bigger things.


This book is a picture storybook.  Both the words and pictures tell the story.  For example, when Duck travels past the horse, the horse thinks that Duck is still not as fast as him.  Shannon's characterization of Horse portrays the horse as a haughty animal by the sneer of Horse's lip and the tilt of his head.


Big Question:  When have you tried to do something new?  Explain.